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The Importance of Cultural & Language The Power of Nahuatl: The Importance of Language & Cultural Minerva Exploration Grant Preservation Introduction By Madison Holley Through the Minerva Exploration Grant, I had the opportunity to learn about the several thousand year old Uto-Aztecan language known as Nahuatl. I have a passion for learning about older cultures and it was my goal to learn more about the language, the history behind it, and use this knowledge to educate others on its cultural significance and the overall importance of cultural preservation. In the face of forceful cultural assimilation, many peoples find themselves losing parts of their identity they had maintained for generations. I wish to educate people on the pain this cultural destruction can bring, not only for the people, but for the world as a whole. The History of Nahuatl The official origin of the Nahuatl language has been lost in the face of European colonialism, but it has possibly existed for over 5000 years. It was the lingua franca of the Aztec Empire, as well as the Toltecs, used often as a language of art, science, and religion. Historians currently believe that the number of Nahuatl speakers Pre-Columbus was in the tens of millions. Post- Columbus, according to the 2000 Mexican Census, this number is now roughly 1.7 million. The Power of Nahuatl: The Importance of Language & Cultural Preservation The History of Nahuatl (cont.) Nahuatl comes from centuries of linguistic and cultural melding, as the Aztec Empire continued to grow and encompass larger populations. At its height, the Aztec Empire's territory would include over 500 states, hundreds, if not thousands, of varying cultures and practices, and over 6 million people. This would have significant impacts on the development of Nahuatl, which would see hundreds of dialects be used throughout Mesoamerica. In 1517, Francisco Cordoba led the first European expedition into Mesoamerican territory. It was soon followed by Hernan Cortes, who used superior weapons and surprise to take Figure of Aztec Empire, 1519 over the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. As Spanish (smarthistory.org) control increased, the influence and prevalence of Nahuatl waned. The Power of Nahuatl: The Importance of Language & Cultural Preservation The Siege of Tenochtitlan (worldhistory.org) Colonialism's Impact on Nahuatl Repeated attacks from Spanish conquistadors devastated the Aztec people, as well as the Nahuatl language. The deaths caused by virulent diseases such as Smallpox and Measles significantly decreased the indigenous population and made them less capable of defending against foreign attack. The ensuing panic and social instability created a large power vacuum that the Spanish subsumed, enforcing their culture, religion, and language on the Aztecan people. Under the Aztecs, Nahuatl was a universal language that would often meld with the local populations languages, which was not the case underneath Spanish colonial rule. Once used as a language of prestige, Nahuatl was denigrated by these foreign powers and communication in Spanish became the mainstay in government, educational, and economic settings. The Power of Nahuatl: The Importance of Language & Cultural Preservation Nahuatl & The Culture Behind It The roots of Nahuatl are extensive and lie in the immense meld of cultures that existed in the Aztec Empire. A vast empire that encompassed millions of citizens, Nahuatl became a prestige language throughout all of Mesoamerica, different cultural groups creating their own variation of the Nahuatl language. There are such a large number of variations that some of them are not mutually intelligible. Early Nahuatl was written in a mix phonetic and ideographic writings, recovered tablets detailing daily situations with both iconography and the Nahuatl alpahabet. The Nahua People Codex Mendoza In modernity, a large majority of the individuals who speak Nahuatl self- identify as Nahua people. Known for beautiful art and a strong agricultural tradition, the Nahua people extend across several regions in Central America, including Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras The Power of Nahuatl: The Importance of Language & Cultural Preservation The Nahua People (cont.) The Nahua people are known for their incredible agricultural skills and their pastoral lifestyle. Based in the central regions of Mexico (Michoacan, Veracruz), Nahuatl is spoken by an overwhelming majority of the population, just as widely as Spanish is in Spanish speaking regions. It is currently believed that the Nahua people have existed for over 5,000 years, living a largely nomadic lifestyle in Northern America and then moving into Mesoamerica around 500 CE. There is extensive pride in their cultural heritage and Nahuatl remains such a venerated language, as it is the same language spoken by their ancestors. Linguistically, they are divided along an East-West boundary, with Eastern Aztec dialects receiving the name of Nahuat and Western dialects recieving Nahaul. The Power of Nahuatl: The Importance of Language & Cultural Preservation The Importance of Cultural Preservation Initially, Nahuatl served as a However, in the face of forced cultural universal language that changed with assimilation and societal coercion, these the dialects of all peoples and would traditions are continuously threatened and rapidly expand into a wide net within the lessons within Nahuatl are in danger of which there existed hundreds of being lost to the annals of time. Agricultural dialects. There are centuries of practices going back centuries, spiritual and cultural sanctities, practices, and ecological knowledge that could serve to traditions inlaid within the Nahuatl rebuild our connection with the nature language and in the culture of the around us, and so much more are in danger of Nahua people. The Nahua people being erased from human memory. Yet, this embrace Nahuatl so strongly for is a problem faced by so many in oftentimes many reasons, but one of them is to significantly worse situations. ensure that this linguistic history remains strong and prevalent in their society. The Power of Nahuatl: The Importance of Language & Cultural Preservation The Importance of Cultural Preservation (cont.) Languages and cultures across the planet have been ravaged by colonialism and neo-colonialism, with long-standing cultural diversity that has existed in regions for generations being wiped out in the span of two centuries. Nahuatl is facing a dangerous situation, but it is a situation that it shares with many other languages and cultures that have found themselves devastated by the impacts of forced assimilation. Languages carrying thousands of years of history have been erased over the span of a few hundred years and this continual destruction threatens to close off secrets and traditions stemming back generations from the rest of human history. Other Endangered Languages Pipil- Also known as Nawat, Pipil is part of the Yiddish- A Hebrew language mostly used by the Jewish Nahuatl dialect group and has possibly existed for over 2000 years. There are currently only community, it is believed that there were 11 million around 3,000 speakers, mostly situated in El speakers before WWII in several countries throughout Salvador. Europe. The current international estimate is now 600,000. Although much more populated than the other Khoemana- A language used by the Griqua people languages listed, Yiddish has had a significant drop in in South Africa, there are believed to be less than active speakers in an exceedingly short amount of time, 30 speakers currently. The words and stories inlaid putting it in danger in the longer term. in the Khoemana language is imperative to Griqua culture, and its complete loss would be devastating for the people. The Power of Nahuatl: The Importance of Language & Cultural Preservation Glottal Stop- The creation of a small Nahuatl Grammar Rules "explosive" sound by closing the glottis (the space between the vocal cords) Nahuatl is quite complex, being one of the few modern languages that actively uses the glottal stop. Classical Nahuatl is largely agglutinative, like modern Finnish and Japanese, allowing for the language to be morphed in a variety of ways in both the phonetics and spelling of certain words. Compare this to Spanish, which is a fusional language and uses single morphemes to mean multiple concepts. Morpheme- The smallest meaningful unit of language. Nahuatl Words & How To Pronounce Them! Nāhua (na-wa)- Audible, Intelligible āalāhuiya. (ah-lah-who-wee-yuh)- For an old tortilla to get moldy after all celcahyac (kel-ka-he-yahk)- the taste of fruit that has not ripened on the vine ıx̄ tlamatiquētl. (ix-thla-mah-tea-quae-thl)- A wise person who has not gone to school tlacualpahtli (thla-kual-pot-lee)- condiment yāyāhuic. (yah-yah-who-ick)- The color black The Power of Nahuatl: The Importance of Language & Cultural Preservation References Aleto, Thomas. “Nahua Women Puebla Mexico.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 28 Aug. 2017, www.flickr.com/photos/ilhuicamina/36481752640/. Bécares, Bárbara. “Actualidad Crean Una App Para Enseñar El Idioma Náhuatl En México.” Siliconweek.com, Siliconweek.com, 12 Dec. 2016, www.siliconweek.com/mobility/mobile-apps/crean-una-app-ensenar-idioma-nahuatl-mexico-73147. “Changes for the Nahuatl.” Ethnos360, ethnos360.org/mission-news/changes-for-the-nahuatl. History of Mexico - Nahuatl Language, www.houstonculture.org/mexico/nahuatl.html. History.com Editors. “Aztecs.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/aztecs. Lagomarsino, Siskia, et al. “How I Learned a Language With Few Native Speakers.” Fluent in 3 Months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips, 16 Mar. 2021, www.fluentin3months.com/nahultl/. “Pin En World of Beautiful People.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/430304939377157707/. Sarah Terry Updated Oct 10, and Sarah Terry. “These Beautiful Pictures Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day around the World.” HelloGiggles, hellogiggles.com/beautiful-pictures-celebrate-indigenous-peoples-day-around-world/. Xperitasadmin. “Nahua People Cultural Immersion with Service Project.” Xperitas, 18 Jan. 2021, www.xperitas.org/nahua-people-cultural- immersion-with-service-project. .
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